The Last Day of Autumn秋尽之日

The frosted dew on the grass sparkled purple and deep red， reflecting the colours in the eastern sky. In her nest， in a dying foxglove flower at the end of the garden， Silverbell woke up and shivered.

草叶上的霜露闪烁着紫色和深红色的光芒，映照出东方天空的色彩。在花园尽头那朵奄奄一息的毛地黄花中，银铃儿从她的巢中醒来，打了个寒战。

Fluttering into the air， she stretched stiffly and looked over the suburban garden. Her breath steamed in the air. “One more day，” she said brightly.

她扑腾着飞入空中，僵硬地伸展开身体，俯瞰着这座郊区花园。她呼出的气在空中凝结成白雾。“还有一天。”她开心地说。

She flew around the garden， teasing colour back into drooping sunflowers， encouraging one last late rose to bloom， polishing each holly berry.

她在花园里飞来飞去，逗弄垂头丧气的向日葵，让它们重拾色彩；鼓励最后一朵迟开的玫瑰绽放；擦亮每一颗冬青浆果。

There was a bumblebee lying motionless on the garden path. Its antennae twitched as she landed in front of it. She walked around it， murmuring soothing words as she checked its wings and stroked its back. She put her hands on the bee’s face and closed her eyes for a moment. The bee seemed to glow golden for a second， and it fluttered its wings with new energy. She patted its back， and it buzzed gratefully before flying away.

花园小径上躺着一只一动不动的熊蜂。银铃儿降落在它面前时，它的触角微微抽动了一下。银铃儿围着它走动，边检查它的翅膀、抚摸它的背，边低声对它说安慰的话。银铃儿将双手放在熊蜂的脸上，闭目片刻。熊蜂似乎瞬间发出了金色的光芒，它用新生的力量振动起翅膀。银铃儿拍拍它的背，熊蜂发出嗡嗡的声响以示感激，然后飞走了。

Silverbell looked after it， smiling.

银铃儿望着它，微笑着。

“You’re out late，” said an emotionless voice behind her. She turned. An indistinct， human-shaped figure shimmered gauzy-white behind her， the garden visible through it.

“你出来得太晚了。”银铃儿身后传来一个冷漠的声音。她转过身。一道模糊的人形影子在她身后闪烁，像白纱一样透明，透过它花园清晰可见。

“It’s still morning，” said Silverbell.

“现在还是早晨。”银铃儿说。

“That’s not what I meant，” said the Spirit of Winter.

“我不是这个意思。”冬之魂回答道。

“I know.”

“我知道。”

“Most of your kind are already hibernating in the Enchanted Forest， recharging until the spring.”

“你的同类大多已在魔法森林里冬眠，等到春天再恢复能量。”

“I’ve still got time，” said Silverbell cheerfully.

“我还有时间呀。”银铃儿快乐地说着。

“It’s futile. That bee won’t last the winter. Most of these flowers will be dead in a week， no matter what you do.”

“这是徒劳的。那只熊蜂熬不过冬天。无论你做什么，这些花大多一周内就会死去。”

“But the people love them so much at this time of year，” said Silverbell. “They like to see nature hanging on as long as possible.”

“但每年这个时候人们特别喜欢它们。”银铃儿说，“人们喜欢看到大自然尽可能久地保持生机。”

“Except wasps.”

“除了黄蜂。”

“Yes， the wasps were a mistake，” admitted Silverbell.

“是的，黄蜂的确是个错误。”银铃儿承认。

The Spirit of Winter tilted its head. Even though the figure had no visible features， Silverbell had the feeling of being looked over and was suddenly conscious of her frayed， drooping wings and the grey streaks in her hair.

冬之魂歪了歪头。尽管这个身影没有明显的面部特征，但银铃儿感觉自己被打量了一番。她突然意识到自己的翅膀已破损、下垂，头发上也有了灰色条纹。

“You need to save your magic，” the Spirit observed1， without particular concern. “Or you won’t have enough to fly to the Forest. You’re already very weak.”

“你需要保存你的魔法。”冬之魂漠不关心地说，“否则你将没有足够的力量飞到森林。你已经很虚弱了。”

“Don’t worry about me，” said Silverbell. “You’ll have the place to yourself from tomorrow.”

“别担心我。”银铃儿说，“从明天起，这地方就归你了。”

The Spirit faded away， leaving a patch of hard frost on the grass， and Silverbell went back to work.

冬之魂消失了，在草地上留下一片硬霜，银铃儿继续忙活。

By mid-afternoon， she sat on a fence post and surveyed the garden with a mixture of satisfaction and sadness. “It was a good summer，” she said to herself.

下午三点左右，银铃儿坐在栅栏柱上，以既满足又伤感的心情打量着花园。“这里曾有一个美好的夏天。”她自言自语道。

She flew up， higher than the rooftops， and turned west. She hadn’t flown one street before her eyes were caught by a small creature limping slowly across the road， and she descended again.

她飞了起来，高过屋顶，向西转去。她还没飞过一条街，就被一个蹒跚穿越道路的小动物吸引住了目光，她再次降落。

It was a hedgehog， small and shivering in the cold. “Hey， buddy，” she said to it， reaching up to stroke its face. “You shouldn’t be out now.”

那是一只小刺猬，它在寒风中颤抖着。“嘿，伙计。”银铃儿对它说，伸手去抚摸它的脸。“你不该在这个时候出来。”

Silverbell took a longing look towards the western horizon， where the sun was starting to set. Then she looked back at the hedgehog. It was obviously too thin to survive hibernation.

银铃儿深情地望了一眼西边的地平线，太阳已经开始下落。然后，她回头看了看刺猬。它显然太瘦弱了，无法熬过冬眠。

She took a deep breath， placed both hands on the hedgehog’s side， and gasped as she released all of her remaining magic. The two of them were enveloped in a golden glow， and when it faded， the hedgehog was noticeably fatter. It snuffled its nose at her before continuing into the garden.

银铃儿深吸一口气，将双手放在刺猬身侧，气喘吁吁地释放出所有剩余的魔法。她与刺猬被金色的光芒包裹。光芒消失时，刺猬明显胖了些。它用鼻子嗅了嗅银铃儿，然后继续往花园里走。

She stood watching until it had vanished under a hedge. Then her legs buckled. With the last of her strength， she flew up onto the roof of the house， almost collapsing as she reached the ridge. Leaning back on a chimney stack， she sat facing the sunset， eyes closed.

银铃儿站在那里望着，直到刺猬消失在树篱下，然后她的双腿开始发软。她用最后的力气飞到房子的屋顶上，飞到屋脊时差点倒下。她靠在烟囱边，面朝夕阳坐着，闭上了眼睛。

Something furry nuzzled her face. She half-opened her eyes. It was the bumblebee. “Hi，” she muttered， reaching out a hand. “Thanks for staying with me.”

有什么毛茸茸的东西蹭了蹭她的脸。她半睁开眼，是那只熊蜂。“嗨。”她喃喃道，伸出一只手。“谢谢你陪着我。”

The bee nudged her again， insist-ently. This time she looked around. It took her arm gently in its mandibles2 and pulled and buzzed. Then， smiling weakly， she pulled herself up， threw one leg over the bee’s back， and hung on. It took off over the houses， flying west.

熊蜂不住地蹭她的脸。这次她环顾起四周。熊蜂用它的颚轻轻地咬住银铃儿的手臂，拉了拉，发出嗡嗡的声响。然后，银铃儿虚弱地笑了笑，爬起来把一条腿跨到熊蜂的背上，再紧紧抱住它。熊蜂载着银铃儿越过一座座房屋，向西飞去。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1 observe〈正式〉说话；评论。

2 mandible（昆虫的）颚。